


you'll be alright

by sunshineflying



Series: Reylo Tumblr Prompts [18]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 17:24:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: Written for a prompt on Tumblr. Ben is sick while on the Falcon and Rey takes care of him.





	you'll be alright

Rey doesn’t want to be irritated. She really, really doesn’t. But Ben just has the sniffles and he’s acting like it’s the end of his entire goddamn life. She had a cold the week before and was just fine, thank you very much. He grumbles from where he sits in the co-pilot’s seat in the Falcon, something unintelligible but stuffy that Rey couldn’t understand.

“You’re fine,” she insists, flipping a couple switches and sending the ship hurtling through space.

“You’re just saying that,” he groans.

Rey rolls her eyes as she sets the Falcon on autopilot. “You’re seriously like a man-child,” she tells him. “Come on.”

“You can’t leave the cockpit unattended.”

“Chewie!” Rey shouts.

Ben glowers. He and Chewie still don’t get along much. Chewie remembers what Ben did to Han - how he hurt him for years, left the man wishing his son would just  _come back_. And then, having to witness when Ben murdered him... Chewie had lived a long time and seen a lot of things, but he wasn’t sure he could completely forgive that.

And Ben was still indignant that in retaliation, Chewie had hit him in the side with his blaster. That was unnecessary and hurt, both physically but emotionally, knowing that someone he’d once been so close with had hurt him like that, just as everyone else had.

And now Rey was telling him that his illness wasn’t a big deal and making Ben actually make eye contact with Chewie. He felt like he was in hell.

They walk past Chewie, leaving him in the cockpit of the Falcon, Rey grabbing hold of the back of Ben’s arm with a surprisingly strong grip. “You’re going back to bed,” she tells him.

“I slept.”

“You need more.”

Ben truly does look miserable, Rey notes as she drags him through the ship, towards the room they’d been sharing, so Chewie could have his own place elsewhere on the Falcon. His skin lacks pallor even more so than usual, and his hair is limp and a little greasy, even though she’d made him shower in the ‘fresher the night before to try to wash the germs away. His nose is bright red and puffy, and so are his cheeks, indicating that he’s got a fever to match that sniffly nose of his.

Rey softens as they walk, to the point that she’s actually feeling sympathetic towards him when they get to the bedroom. “You should put on something more comfortable,” she says, her voice gentle and soft.

She helps herself to his small array of clothing, settling upon a pair of black cotton trousers and a black undershirt. Ben changes slowly, unabashed in his nakedness around Rey now. They share close quarters, and they’ve let hands wander once or twice - it’s nothing new, now. 

As he changes, Rey gathers blankets on the bed, fluffs the pillows a little bit, and wanders to the hallway to start a kettle. When he’s finished, Ben leans in the doorway to the bedroom, watching Rey. His eyes are puffy and droopy, his misery written clear across his face. “I’m making you tea, would you like anything else?” she asks him, not looking up.

She’s busy pulling out a mug, and some tea, and rifling through the very small stash of food to see if there’s anything that might help him feel better.

She doesn’t find good food, but she does find a med kit - half used, but thankfully still stocked with antibiotics. “You should take these,” she says, handing them to him with a glass of water.

Rey meets Ben’s eyes again, watching him closely until he finally swallows back the pills. “How did you deal with stuff like this before?” she asks vaguely.

Before her, before the First Order... she can’t imagine him being a very willing participant in taking care of himself when he’s sick. Not if he grumbles this much over sniffles and a fever. 

“Droids.”

It’s all he says on the matter, and Rey purses her lips but doesn’t press the matter. She knows very little about Ben’s past, just enough to know that it’s not something he particularly enjoys talking about. It’s probably best if she lets him talk when he feels comfortable to do so. 

“Well, I’ll have Chewie pilot the ship, and I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep again,” Rey says gently.

Ben sighs. His eyes are already drooping shut, like he could fall asleep right there on his feet. “Go lay down. I’ll bring you in some tea. Water’s almost done,” she instructs.

When he’s sick is when Ben is at his most complacent. Rey would find it endearing if it wasn’t so sad, his blatant desire to be taken care of. It doesn’t surprise her in the leas, though she does feel ill-equipped to handle him. She doesn’t have the temper for whining or mumbling.

Regardless, she brews him his tea and brings it in to him. Ben is in bed, still looking feverish, and Rey hands him the mug. She disappears to the ‘fresher and returns a few moments later with an elastic band in one hand and a damp cloth in the other. “Here,” she says softly, lying the cool, damp cloth against the back of his neck. “See if this helps.”

Then, as Ben sips his tea, Rey ties his hair out of the way in a knot at the top of his head. His hair feels a bit gross, but hopefully having it out of the way and not sticking to his face will at least make him feel a little more comfortable.

Rey climbs up onto the bed and sits next to him, letting the silence lull him into a drowsy state, make him feel more comfortable under the blankets. “It’ll pass in a few days,” she reminds him softly.

Ben glances at Rey and looks at her curiously. “How did you deal with this? Before... all of this?” he wonders.

That.

That’s not something Rey talks about much. She lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. She can feel him burning up under her cheek, but stays there; she doesn’t want to have to look into his eyes as she says, “I took care of myself.”

She shouldn’t have had to, she knows this now. It’s what Ben says anytime she tells him she had to do some thing or another all by herself. Alone is all she’s ever known, all she can remember.

Ben bursts into a coughing fit at that moment, nearly spilling his tea as he does. Rey takes the mug from him and sets it aside, rubbing his back until his coughing subsides. It sounds painful - deep in his chest, an ache he can’t shake. “Lay down,” she instructs softly. 

Ben complies so easily it’s almost startling.

“You just need more rest,” she says, trying not to become to concerned. She’ll page Leia once Ben is asleep, once she knows that his pride won’t prevent her from reaching out for more help so he can get well. “It’s alright, I’ll stay here,” she reassures him.

Ben’s eyes blink heavily as soon as his head hits the pillow. Rey rests her head on his forehead; he really  _is_  burning up.

“It’ll be alright,” she reassures him. “Just get some more rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Ben’s hand fumbles around on top of the blankets until his hand finds hers. Rey takes hold of his hand and gives it a little squeeze. “You’ll be alright,” she echoes. “I promise.”


End file.
